Burattino
by Mr. Harlequin
Summary: Riku is a puppet who only comes to life when he is needed. Demyx is a lonely boy who's friends have suddenly abandoned him for an entire summer. His most recent birthday present, throws him into a world of magic and answered wishes. Pairing: DemyxRiku
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone. I'm trying out something new.

It may not be the best, since it was rushed and un-beta'd, but hey, at least I've earned a few originality points.

The pairing is Demyx/Riku . . . cuz I said so.

And because I told ChibiFrubaGirl that I'd write a Demyx Riku. Bet this wasn't quite what you were expecting eh Chibi? Lol.

* * *

**Burattino: Chapter: 1**

A very long time ago, there used to be a small village named Vollo Kiev. It rested just outside of the snowy Switzerland Alps, and was rumored to have some of the most beautiful summers for miles around.

In this town, lived a very famous toymaker. His creations were beautiful. Intricate little music boxes beheld dancing ballerinas; toy soldiers stood at attention, defending the shop from would-be thieves; porcelain dolls sat prettily on their shelves, tiny little dresses perfectly pressed and shining. Papa Carlo (as the villagers called him) took pride in all of his wonderful masterpieces, but he held a special place in his heart for his endearing marionettes. Ever since he was a boy Papa Carlo loved puppets. There was something so human, so _alive,_ about them…

Papa Carlo had a son, Rinaldo. Rinaldo worked alongside his father in the toyshop, loving it just as much as Carlo. The two of them happily lived their days in the little village, content to have only each other.

However, during Rinaldo's 15th winter, he fell ill. There was a sickness that had spread throughout their village, claiming many lives, and breaking many hearts. Papa Carlo and his son believed that they had been spared, when the last person who had been inflicted passed away and neither one of them had become sick. They had been mistaken, and the sickness came back in one last surge taking hold of Rinaldo.

As Papa Carlo held his dying son in his arms, he called to the spirits for help. His prayers were answered, when a lone firefly appeared before his eyes. As he watched, it glowed brighter and brighter until it took the form of a beautiful woman. She introduced herself as a messenger of the Goddess Shiva and offered Papa Carlo a compromise. The Spirits were ready to take Rinaldo, but the beautiful woman said that she could arrange for his soul to stay on earth because she knew how much the two of them meant to each other. Carlo and his son were grateful for this favor, and asked what must be done in return.

"Nothing," she had replied, "but my magic can only go so far. I shall turn Rinaldo into a puppet, and he shall come alive when he is needed. Should a single tear touch the wood of his body he will live and shall remain as such as long as his presence is still required. However, his soul shall never be allowed to leave its new wooden home and he shall be imprisoned there forever."

Papa Carlo, thinking only of himself at the time and how much it would hurt him not to have his son with him, hurriedly agreed to the terms and Rinaldo was turned into a pretty little marionette.

The woman left, and Papa Carlo cried when he felt his son finally stop breathing. The tears landed on his newly transformed puppet and it glowed. It glowed just as the woman had and beloved son appeared. He comforted his father, and stayed with him until the old man died several years later. With his father deceased, Rinaldo was no longer needed and turned back into a puppet.

Throughout the years, the old toymaker's shop was ransacked and pillaged during wars and raidings. Rinaldo was passed from this person, to that person, and never once was his secret revealed. Never once, was he **needed.** It made him sad and terribly lonely. One day he was thrown onto a ship and taken to a strange land. He was sold over and over, finally ending up in a small, antique store.

And there he sits, the beautiful little puppet, with satin clothing and a black teardrop painted on his cheek, gathering dust and waiting for that one day when someone would need him and he could become human again.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi, guys.

Long time, no see. ~

**In order to send out this note, I re-uploaded the second chapter.**

For anyone who hasn't gone to my profile, please do so now for an update on Burattino's current status, kay?

* * *

**Burattino: Chapter: 2**

_I'll take your for who you are, if you take me for everything._

"Happy Birthday Demyx!" shouted a short boy, half of his faced hidden by his hair. The boy internally twitched, thoroughly annoyed. He wasn't supposed to be this…peppy…but he felt that he needed to be so right now. His blonde friend was the one who usually brought the energy into their friendship. Because of recent events however, he was far from the carefree person he was just a few days ago. Said friend, was currently staring at his birthday present warily.

"Um, Ze…I don't play with dolls," Demyx finally said.

"It's not a doll, it's a marionette," Zexion replied, quickly reverting back to his normal temperament. He could only take so much of being 'happy.'

Demyx quirked an eyebrow at the marionette, studying it. It was made of wood (like most marionettes) and had green satin ribbons instead of strings holding it to the wooden cross that controlled its movements. Its shirt was made of white silk, paired with black pants of the same material. Green suspenders where clipped on to the pants and stretched over the toy's shoulders. On its little wooden feet, it wore shiny black shoes with gold buckles. It had pretty, long, silver hair, made out of a material that Demyx didn't know of. Its painted eyes were a bluish-green color. A small, green, teardrop was painted onto the doll's left cheek, though its expression wasn't sad.

"Cool but, it looks kind of old," Demyx decided.

Zexion put a hand on his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "Well, I got it at that old antique store Axel just got a job at. Old Man Cid, the owner, said it was made in the early 19th century. It's supposed to be really valuable, but sitting on the shelves for ages and Cid just wanted to get rid of it."

"Hmm," the blonde said, not offering any further conversation. He held it up, looking at it again, before setting it down on the floor carefully. He let it hover above the ground as he attempted to control the individual limbs. Definitely harder than it looked on the movies. He laughed, something he hadn't done in a very long while, and looked at Zexion, smirking. "I can't believe you got me a puppet."

"It's a 19th century work of art," Zexion huffed, "and you seem to like it well enough."

"Heh, yeah. What's its name?"

"Cid said that his name was Rinaldo."

"Rinaldo huh? Let's change it."

"What? Why?"

"Rinaldo sounds too old-fashioned. I like it well enough but…"

"Yeah I know what you mean. How about Andrew?"

"No."

"Laurent?"

"No."

"Johnny?"

"No."

Zexion let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, do _you_ have a-"

"Riku."

"Huh? What?"

"Riku. I'll name him Riku. What do you think?"

"Oh…I like it. It's cute."

Demyx smiled. He looked down, playing with Riku and starting to get the hang of moving the puppet around. He made it wave at Zexion. "And I guess he **is** kind of cute."

Zexion smiled softly, "I'm glad you think so. I'm leaving later today, and I figured that you'd want a friend while I was gone."

Demyx looked up at Zexion, smiling at his friend's thoughtfulness. Zexion was a year older than Demyx, and while Demyx stayed here in Twilight Town, Zexion would leave today for Europe to get settled in before his college classes started. Demyx had other friends, but it wouldn't be the same without Zexion around to comfort him when he got "emo" about his recent brake-up. Really, it was a mutual brake-up so it shouldn't have hurt as much as it did. Right?

"Well," started the slate-haired boy, "I'm going to head out now. Leon and I are carpooling to the airport." He closed the distance between them, and reached up to wind his arms around Demyx's neck.

Demyx picked his friend up and swung him around in a circle, giving Zexion the type of hug he absolutely hated. "I'll miss you Ze!"

"Wah-?! Demy'x, put me down!" Zexion shouted.

Demyx obeyed his friend, and set him back down on his feet. The two friends said their good-byes to each other and hugged once more. Demyx walked Zexion to his front door, and stood in the doorway waving as the slate-haired male drove away.

And that was that. Zexion was gone.

* * *

Demyx sat on the swinging bench in his backyard. It was a pretty night tonight. A bit cloudy, but just beyond the giant grey cotton balls the sky was clear. There seem to be so many stars tonight. Maybe more than normal. Demyx smiled as he watched two shooting stars fly across the sky, side by side.

He didn't make a wish.

What was the use? Wishes never came true. Even when he was little Demyx had never been a fan of Fairy Tales. Anything that ended in happily ever after was not appealing at all. He much preferred the blood and gore of monster movies. Demons, Vampires, Werewolves; those were his favorites.

He looked down on the bench beside him where Riku was sitting, leaning against his side.

Why did Ze give him this? Demyx couldn't remember ever saying that he liked puppets. If Ze wanted to leave him with a 'friend,' then why not just buy him a stuffed werewolf?

Why did he have to leave anyway?

Demyx sighed. That was a stupid question. Zexion was on his way to college with Cloud, Leon, and Roxas. Sora was moving away to California, and Kairi and Selphie were on vacation all summer. He felt so alone.

As he contemplated a small tear left, unchecked, down his face. It dripped down onto Riku's cheek.

Demyx saw it and quickly wiped off both of their cheeks. He smiled sadly, "Heh, sorry about that Riku."

Looking up at the sky again, Demyx sighed. It was no use feeling sorry for himself. He'd just end up crying for real. _I should just go to bed, _Demyx thought, _I've got to start work in the morning._

The blonde stood up and walked into the house, Riku in tow. Quickly, he went through the motions of getting ready for bed; taking a shower, brushing his teeth, and slipping into some loose sweat pants. He climbed into bed and flicked off the light.

He lay there, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes. Then, as an afterthought, he reached over the side of the bed and pulled Riku into the bed with him.

For the first time in a while, Demyx slept through the night, cuddled close to Riku.


End file.
